Cheese product having a veined appearance

ABSTRACT

A method of producing a food product such as a colored veined cheese product includes providing a cheese curd to which a flavorant is added. The cheese curd and the flavorant are worked into a homogenous mixture. A colored vein mimetic is added to the homogeneous mixture in an amount for a time sufficient to produce the colored veins within the cheese product such that the cheese product has a flavor and an appearance of a naturally veined cheese.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/629,485, filed Nov. 19, 2004,the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

The present application is a divisional of and claims priority of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/281,068, filed Nov. 17, 2005, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,785,644, the content of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of making a cheese productthat has the appearance of a mold ripened veined cheese. Moreparticularly, the present invention includes a method of mixing acolorant into the cheese product to produce a cheese product having theappearance of a mold ripened veined cheese.

The most important mold ripened, veined cheeses are blue veined cheesessuch as Blue cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, Stilton cheese and Roquefortcheese such cheeses are produced by inoculating either milk, a curd, ora formed cheese with selected mold spores such as, but not limited to,Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum. The mold spores aretypically dispersed throughout the milk, the curd or the formed cheeseand create distinctive flavor components by breaking down fat, proteinand milk sugar such as lactose. In addition to providing the distinctiveflavors of the veined cheese, the mold spores also create the veinedappearance that provides a strong visual association with the cheese'sdistinctive flavor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a method of producing a food product suchas a colored veined process cheese. The method includes working a cheesecurd into a homogenous mixture. A colored vein mimetic is then added tothe homogenous mixture. The homogenous mixture and the colored veinedmimetic are agitated for a time sufficient to produce the colored veinedcheese having an appearance and a taste of a natural colored veinedcheese. Flavorant may also be added to the cheese curd.

The present invention also includes an alternative method of making acolored veined natural cheese product in which a colored vein mimetic isadded to a cheese curds and optionally flavors are added. The cheesecurd and vein mimetic are mixed and pressed to form colored veinedcheese having an appearance and taste of a natural colored veinedcheese.

The present invention also includes a method of making a cheese productin which a coloring dye and optionally flavoring are added to a non-curdcheese product, the non-curd cheese product is then blended with anatural cheese curd and pressed into a cheese product whose appearancehas colored seams between the pressed curds. The present invention alsoincludes a product having colored seams defined by the curds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention includes a method of producing a food product andthe food product such as a cheese based product that has the taste andappearance of a natural colored veined cheese. By colored veined cheeseis meant a cheese having a vein that has a color distinct from thecheese body. A colored vein mimetic is used to produce the appearance ofveined cheese. By colored vein mimetic is meant a composition,component(s) or compound(s) that when added to the cheese curd, eitherafter working the cheese curd into a homogeneous mixture or directly tothe curds, forms a veinous appearance within the homogeneous mixture ordisburses along the outer surface of the curds. By veinous appearance ismeant visually discernable streaks, filaments or seams within theproduct.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a blue veined cheesethat in appearance and taste resembles natural blue veined cheeses suchas Blue cheese, Roquefort, Stilton and Gorgonzola. However, the presentinvention may also include food products having colored veins of colorsother than blue. It should also be understood that by the color blue ismeant to include various shades of blue since the mold spores used toproduce the natural blue veins in blue veined cheese vary in their bluecolor. For example, Gorgonzola cheese may have a blue-green vein. Theblue color may also extend to a greenish blue color. An important aspectof the present invention is that the blue vein is produced without theuse of mold spores which are used to produce the blue veins in BlueCheese, Roquefort, Stilton and Gorgonzola cheeses. The cheese basedproduct of the present invention includes natural cheese, pasteurizedprocess cheese, pasteurized process cheese food, pasteurized processcheese spread, pasteurized process cheese products, imitation or analogcheese the compositions of which are well known and other food products.

A component of the cheese based product is a dairy based fraction thatcan be either a water-in-oil emulsion or an oil-in-water emulsiondepending upon the type of the cheese based product to be produced. Thedairy based fraction can also be manufactured by mixing selected amountsof water, milkfat and solids to produce either the oil-in-water emulsionor the water-in-oil emulsion.

Preferably, the dairy based fraction is cheese curd which has beenprocessed to remove whey from the curd. The cheese curd can be one ofany number of types of cheese curd, including but not limited to, AnejoEnchilado, Asadero, Asiago, Blue, Brick, Brie, Cabrales, Caciocavallo,Camembert, Cheddar, Cheshire, Chevre, Chihuahua, Colby, Colby Jack,Cotija, Cream Cheese, Edam, Emmental, Farmer, Feta, Fontina, Gammelost,Garrotxa, Gloucester, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Granular, Grating, Gruyere,Hard Cheese, Havarti, Idiazabal, Kasseri, Limburger, Mahon, Manchego,Mascarpone, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, Nuworld,Oaxaca, Panela, Parmesan, Picon, Provolone, Quark, Queso Blanco, QuesoFresco, Queso Quesadilla, Ricotta, Romano, Roncal, Roquefort, Samsoe,Sap Sago, Scamorza, Semisoft, Skim, Soft Ripened, Stilton, Stirred Curd,Swiss, Tetilla, Washed Curd, White Cheese and Colored Cheese, or anymixture thereof. A preferred cheese curd is Provolone cheese curd.

The dairy based fraction makes up between 10-99 weight percent of thetotal weight of the cheese based product. Preferably, the dairy basedfraction makes up between about 75-80 weight percent of the total weightof the cheese based product.

The dairy based fraction is added to a mixer and subjected to agitation.A preferred mixer is a paddle mixer manufactured by Marion Mixers, Inc.of Marion, Iowa.

While subjected to agitation, optional dairy components may be added toadjust the fat to solids ratio of the dairy based fraction. Preferably,a dry cream is added to the dairy based fraction to produce a selectedfat to solids ratio of the dairy based fraction. A preferred dry creamis Melocreme, manufactured by Kerry Ingredients of Beloit, Wis.

With the fat to solids ratio of the dairy based fraction at about theselected ratio, the pH of the dairy based fraction may be adjusted withan addition of an effective amount of an edible acid, preferably citricacid to achieve desired flavor characteristics. The edible acid is addedto adjust the pH of the dairy based fraction to a range of between about4.6 and 6.2, and preferably to about 5.3. Besides using citric acid asthe edible acid, other edible acids are also within the scope of thepresent invention, including, but not limited to, lactic acid, tannicacid, malic acid, gluconic acid, glycolic acid, pyruvic acid, glutamicacid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, isocitric acid, pimelic acid, linearpolycarboxylic acids, such as oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid,gluratic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and adipicacid; and anhydrides that break down into acids on contact with water,such as acetic anhydride, butyric anhydride, succinic anhydride or anycombination thereof.

With the pH of the blend at the selected pH, preferably about 5.3, aneffective amount of an emulsifying salt may be added to the homogenousblend. By an effective amount of emulsifying salt is meant an amountsufficient to enhance the emulsifying properties of the casein proteinto promote a stable emulsion so that upon heating of the cheese productthe fat does not separate or oil off. A non-exhaustive list ofemulsifying salts that can be added to the homogenous blend include, butare not limited to, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, monosodiumphosphate, disodium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium aluminumphosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate,dipotassium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and the like, as wellas mixtures thereof. A preferred emulsifying salt is disodium phosphate.Other emulsifiers, including but are not limited to lecithin,monoglycerides, diglycerides, polysorbate 60, or Complemix 100 may beadded as a replacement or supplement to emulsifying salts.

Although not necessary to practice the present invention, theemulsifying salt aids in providing flowing characteristics of a processcheese such that the cheese based product flows and melts when heated.The emulsifying salts are added to the homogeneous blend such that theemulsifying salts preferably make up approximately 1.0 weight percent ofthe total weight of the cheese based product).

When the salts are added to the homogeneous blend, the blend is workedfor a selected period of time to evenly disperse the salts throughoutthe homogeneous blend thereby retaining the homogeneous quality of theblend. Preferably, the salts are mixed into the homogeneous blend withthe Marion paddle mixer for about 5 minutes at a temperature of 60 to130 degrees fahrenheit, although other mixing periods, vessels andtemperatures are within the scope of the present invention provided thatat the end of the mixing period the emulsifying salts are uniformlydispersed and optionally melted throughout the blend.

Optionally, other ingredients may be added to the blend before or afterthe emulsifying salts. A non-exhaustive list of other ingredients thatmay optionally be added to the blend includes flavorants, such as eggflavor, a lactic acid starter blend, a starter distillate, flavorants,and salt; acidulants such as edible acids and edible acid anhydrides,including citric acid, hydrochloric acid, lactic acid, lemon juicepowder; cheese; enzyme modified cheese; eggs; edible particulates suchas bread crumbs, chopped nuts, meat, fruits, dried vegetables; herbs andseasonings; cordials and alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer; cocoaliquor; sweeteners such as sugar or corn syrup; artificial sweeteners;and starch. Additionally, colorants such as annatto, beta carotene,turmeric, FD&C dyes, and titanium dioxide may be optionally added toenhance the color of the blend.

What is meant by flavorant is a material which imparts a flavor or mouthfeel to the finished product, including but not limited to EnzymeModified Cheese, Natural Flavor, Artificial Flavor, WONF (natural flavorenhanced with other natural flavors or other materials that depart adesired flavor or mouth feel in the finished product).

Optionally, the homogenous blend is transferred to a cheese cookerwherein the homogenous blend is heated for an amount of time sufficientto cook the homogenous blend into the cheese based product. Preferably,the homogeneous blend is heated under agitation with steam injection toabout a range of about 110° F. and 230° F., and preferably to about 165°F. for about thirty seconds. With the homogenous blend heated to about165° F., the steam injection is removed from the homogenous blend whilemaintaining agitation of the homogenous blend for another selectedperiod of time, preferably 1½ minutes. The homogeneous blend is workeduntil it becomes a thick viscous mass having a plastic consistency. Apreferred cheese cooker is a twin screw lay down process cheese cookermanufactured by Custom Stainless Equipment of Santa Rosa, Calif.

With the homogenous blend heated and cooked for the select amount oftime, the blend has the taste of a natural blue veined cheese such asBlue cheese. However, while the cheese based product has the taste of anatural Blue cheese, the cheese based product does not yet have thecharacteristic blue veined coloring that consumers associate with a moldripened blue veined cheese.

To provide the characteristic blue veined coloring within the cheesebased product, an effective amount of a colorant or a blend of colorantsare added to the unagitated product. Preferably, the colorants areeither a green or blue color that does not run or fade over time. Thecolorant is preferably a blue vein mimetic that is typically a solidparticulate at room temperature that hydrates and forms the blue veinswithin the cheese product in the presence of free water. The size of theparticulate preferably ranges from between about 0.25 millimeters toabout 20 millimeters. However, any colorant, whether a solid or aliquid, that provides a veined appearance in the food product is withinthe scope of the present invention.

Preferred blue vein mimetics are manufactured by Quali Tech, Inc. ofChaska, Minn., under ingredient numbers 42-21-7 and 41-67-1C, which arepreferably added in a 50-50 weight percent blend. The blue vein mimeticsare added to the product between a range of about 0.01 and about 0.30weight percent of the total weight of the cheese based product, andpreferably about 0.1 weight percent of the cheese based product. TheQuali Tech, Inc. blue vein mimetics are a solid at room temperature andwhen added to the cheese product hydrate over time to provide thecharacteristic blue veins to the cheese product.

To provide the characteristic blue veins, the product is worked for atime sufficient to disperse the blue vein mimetics in a random fashionthrough the cheese based product. Preferably, the blue vein mimetics aremixed into the product for approximately 30 seconds under agitation inthe twin screw lay down process cheese cooker. After having beenagitated into the cheese based product to form the desired blue veincoloring, the product is filled into molds for storage.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the product and method of thepresent invention provides several process advantages over making a blueveined cheese through the addition of mold spores. First, the amount oftime required to manufacture the processed blue veined cheese product ofthe present invention is significantly reduced by eliminating the timeneeded for the mold spores to process the fat, proteins and sugars toproduce the characteristic flavor and coloration of a natural blueveined cheese. In fact, the present invention does not require the useof mold spores to produce a product having the taste and appearance of ablue veined cheese product.

The method of the present invention also allows the manufacturer toseparate and independently control the three main variables in theproduction of a blue veined cheese, namely, milk concentration, flavordevelopment and visual (colored veins) development. Instead of having torely upon the mold spores to develop the flavor and visual appearance ofthe blue veined cheese, the flavorant is added to a dairy basedcomponent having a selected fat to solids ratio and moisture content,such as a cheese curd, to provide a desired taste to the cheese basedproduct. Once the desired taste of the product is attained, the coloringof the product is independently obtained by the addition of the bluevein mimetics. While the product of the present invention has theappearance and taste of a natural blue veined cheese such as Bluecheese, Stinton cheese, Roquefort cheese or Gorgonzola cheese, theproduct of the present invention is handled and processed as a processcheese. Namely, the process cheese product is more easily packaged,sliced and is also capable of being melted.

It has been discovered that the process of the present invention and theresulting products manufactured by the process have the organoelectricproperties of a natural blue veined cheese product while eliminating thetime necessary for the spores to generate the requisite flavor andcoloring of the blue veined cheese product. Additionally, the blueveined cheese product of the present invention can be produced having avariety of flavors with varying intensity and a variety of shades ofblue veins by independently controlling the amount and type of flavorantand the amount and the type of blue vein mimetic that are added to thecheese based product.

The following examples are illustrative only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present invention in any way.

Example 1

50 lbs. of fresh provolone curd was produced and the whey portiondrained from the curd. The provolone curd was added to a paddle mixermanufactured by Marion Mixers, Inc. of Marion, Iowa. About 150 grams ofdry cream, preferably Melocreme, manufactured by Kerry Ingredients ofBeloit, Wis., and 75 grams of citric acid powder were added to themixture. The mixture of Provolone curd, the dry cream and the citricacid were mixed in the paddle mixer for about 15 minutes such that ahomogenous blend was obtained. After obtaining the homogenous blend, thepH was checked and adjusted with additional citric acid, as necessary toa target pH of about 5.30.

With the pH adjusted to about 530, about 401 grams of a salt mixture wasadded to the blend. The salt mixture included about 276 grams of anemulsifying salt, sodium phosphate, and about 125 grams of table salt,sodium chloride. With the salt mixture added to the homogenous blend,the blend was mixed in the paddle mixer for about 10 minutes to evenlydisperse the salts within the homogenous blend.

After the salt blend was evenly dispersed within the homogenous mixture,about 4.9 lbs. of enzyme modified cheese flavored as blue cheese,manufactured by First Choice of Germantown, Wis., was added and mixedinto the homogenous blend for about 5 minutes such that the flavorantwas evenly distributed within the homogenous blend.

About 5 lbs. of Melocreme dry cream, manufactured by Kerry Ingredientsof Beloit, Wis., was added to the blend to adjust the fat to solidsratio. The dry cream was mixed into the homogenous mixture for about 5minutes such that the dry cream was evenly dispersed within thehomogenous blend.

The homogenous blend was then transferred to a 13 lb. twin screw laydown process cheese cooker, manufactured by Custom Stainless Equipmentof Santa Rosa, Calif. With the homogenous blend transferred into thetwin screw lay down process cheese cooker, the agitators were engagedand steam was injected into the homogenous mixture until the homogenousmixture reached a temperature of about 165° F. for about 2 minutes. Withthe homogenous mixture at the temperature of 165° F. for about 2minutes, the steam injection was removed from the cooker and the blendwas held under agitation for a total cook cycle of about 3.5 minutes.

The agitation was removed from the homogenous blend, and 30 grams of ablue vein mimetic ingredient numbers 42-21-7 and 41-67-1C, manufacturedby Quali Tech of Chaska, Minn. was added to the blend. The blend alongwith the blue vein mimetics were worked for about 30 seconds within thetwin screw lay down process cheese cooker to produce the blue veincoloration within the cheese based product.

The blue vein mimetic, manufactured by Quali Tech, Inc. of Chaska, Minn.is a starch based product that is a solid at ambient temperature andhydrates in the presence of water. The starch based blue vein mimeticprovides an even distribution in the veins and does not run or continueto disperse throughout the cheese based product over time. Rather, theblue vein mimetic remains in streaks or veins resembling that of a bluevein that is produced by mold spores during the process of making anatural blue veined cheese.

The product was removed from the cheese cooker and placed into 5 lb.loaf molds. The process blue veined cheese based product of the presentinvention is more easily transferred into a mold and formed into theshape of the mold, sliced and melted when heated than a natural blueveined cheese. The product of the present invention has a taste,appearance and texture similar to a natural blue veined cheese.Otherwise stated, the product of the present invention has theorganoleptic properties of a natural blue veined cheese. However, whilehaving the organoleptic properties of a natural blue veined cheese, theproduct of the present invention has the physical characteristics of aprocess cheese such as ease of processing, packaging, slicing andmelting.

In an alternative method for producing the cheese product of the presentinvention, cheese curd is produced in a conventional fashion and is thenmixed with a flavored non-curd cheese product such as an enzyme modifiedcheese product. Enzyme modified cheese is typically made from milk thathas been concentrated through ultrafiltration and/or ultrafiltrationwith diafiltration and which may be further concentrated by evaporation.Various other dairy solids such as anhydrous milkfat, non-fat dry milk,protein isolates and concentrates may also be added to increase theamount of solids. A non-coagulating type enzyme is also typically addedto add flavor, however, no curds are formed.

Such a non-curd dairy product is characterized by its homogeneouscomposition. The non-curd cheese product along with a colored veinmimetic is added to the cheese curd. The mixture is mixed withoutdestroying the curd structure and pressed to form a colored veinedcheese having an appearance and taste of a natural colored veinedcheese.

Example 2

500 lbs. of milk were standardized to a fat:protein ration of 0.95 bythe addition of skim milk powder and was then pasteurized. This milk wasadded to a pilot scale double “0” cheese vat, and 50 lbs of curd wasproduced by the addition of traditional cheese making cultures andrennet. After cooking, whey removal and fermentation, curd was milled toapproximately ½″×¾″×2″ in size. 50 lbs. of the curd was returned to thecheese vat, where 360 grams of NaCl and 150 grams of citric acid wereadded in three subsequent additions about 5 minutes apart. 5 lbs. of anenzyme modified cheese 2053.2 having a blue cheese flavor from FirstChoice Ingredients of Germantown, Wis. was added and mixed for 5minutes, followed by 227 grams of blue vein mimetic ingredient number44-78-5, manufactured by Quali Tech of Chaska, Minn. Product was packedinto 25 lb hoops. The resulting product had the taste, appearance andtexture of a natural blue veined cheese.

Another alternative method of making a cheese product of this inventioninvolves adding a coloring dye and flavoring to a non-curd cheeseproduct such as an enzyme modified cheese product. The non-curd cheeseproduct is typically produced by ultrafiltering or ultrafiltering withdiafiltration milk to concentrate the protein. Further concentration maybe done by evaporation or by adding other dairy solids such as anhydrousmilkfat, non-fat dry milk, protein isolates or concentrates, or both. Anenzyme may be added to flavor the non-curd cheese product. Such aproduct has a homogenous texture. The non-curd cheese product is thenblended with a natural cheese curd along with a colored vein mimetic andpressed into a cheese product whose visual appearance has colored seams(veins) between the pressed curds.

Example 3

31.3 grams of CSL33304 dye from Sensient Technologies 777 East WisconsinAvenue, Milwaukee, Wis., was blended into 5 lbs. of an enzyme modifiedcheese 2040 having a blue cheese flavor from First Choice Ingredients ofGermantown, Wis., and was set aside. 500 lbs. of milk were standardizedto a fat:protein ration of 0.95 by the addition of skim milk powder andwas then pasteurized. This milk was added to a pilot scale double “0”cheese vat, and 50 lbs of curd was produced by the addition oftraditional cheese making cultures and rennet. After cooking, wheyremoval and fermentation, curd was milled to approximately ½″×¾″×2″ insize. 22.5 lbs. of the curd was returned to the cheese vat, where 180grams of NaCl and 75 grams of citric acid were added in three subsequentadditions about 5 minutes apart. 2.03 lbs. of the colored and flavoredenzyme modified cheese was then added to the milled, salted andacidified curd and the blended mixture was pressed into a 25 lb hoop.The resulting product displayed a blue-green seaminess around the curdand had the distinct flavor and odor of blue cheese.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cheese product comprising: cheese curd; aflavorant comprising enzyme modified cheese flavored as blue cheese inan amount sufficient to mimic flavoring of a blue veined cheese; and acolored vein mimetic comprising food starch and a colorant, the coloredvein mimetic comprising particulates at room temperature, wherein thecolored vein mimetic is interspersed within the cheese curd and ishydrated by moisture in the cheese curd thereby simulating blue coloredveins created by mold spores in a natural cheese such that the producthas the flavoring and an appearance of a natural veined cheese.
 2. Theproduct of claim 1 and wherein the amount of the colored vein mimetic isin a range of between about 0.25 weight percent and 20 weight percent ofthe total weight of the cheese product.
 3. The product of claim 1,wherein the blue colored vein mimetic is in a range of between about0.01 and about 0.30 weight percent of the total weight of the cheeseproduct.
 4. The product of claim 1, wherein the particulates are in asize range between about 0.25 millimeters and about 20 millimeters. 5.The product of claim 1, wherein the flavorant comprises an edible acid.6. The product of claim 5, wherein the edible acid comprises one or moreof citric acid, lactic acid, tannic acid, malic acid, gluconic acid,glycolic acid, pyruvic acid, glutamic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid,isocitric acid, pimelic acid, linear polycarboxylic acids, andanhydrides that break down into edible acids on contact with water. 7.The product of claim 1, further comprising an emulsifier in an amount upto approximately 1.0 weight percent of the total weight of the cheeseproduct.
 8. The product of claim 1, further comprising a non-curdcheese.
 9. The product of claim 1, wherein a curd structure of thecheese curd is retained in the product.
 10. A cheese product comprising:cheese curd; a cheese flavorant; and a colored vein mimetic comprisingfood starch and a colorant, the colored vein mimetic comprisingparticulates at room temperature, wherein the colored vein mimetic isinterspersed within the cheese curd and is hydrated by moisture in thecheese curd thereby simulating colored veins.
 11. The product of claim10 wherein the colored vein mimetic is in a range of between about 0.25and about 20 weight percent of the total weight of the cheese product.12. The product of claim 10, wherein the colored vein mimetic is in arange of between about 0.01 and about 0.30 weight percent of the totalweight of the cheese product.
 13. The product of claim 10, wherein theflavorant comprises an edible acid.
 14. The product of claim 13, whereinthe edible acid comprises one or more of citric acid, lactic acid,tannic acid, malic acid, gluconic acid, glycolic acid, pyruvic acid,glutamic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, isocitric acid, pimelicacid, linear polycarboxylic acids, and anhydrides that break down intoedible acids on contact with water.
 15. The product of claim 10, furthercomprising an emulsifier in an amount up to approximately 1.0 weightpercent of the total weight of the cheese product.
 16. The product ofclaim 10, further comprising a non-curd cheese.
 17. The product of claim10, wherein a curd structure of the cheese curd is retained in theproduct.